How Our Brain Works, Brain Exercises and Fitness

Filed Under What Goes Inside Us | August 27th, 2006

The brain is a mass of nerve tissue that fills the entire inside of the skull. It is by far the most important organ in the body. Without it, we could not live.

The billions of tiny cells in the brain are remarkable. They remember things for years; they seem to be able to learn endless new things, year in and year out, throughout our lives; they can remember tastes and smells, sights and sounds, and the feel of things for a lifetime without ever forgetting. Once a child becomes familiar with the taste of milk, or the smell of roses, or the sound of a piano, or the sight of the sky, or the feel of an ice cube, he will remember them forever-without even trying.

This is because there is no limit to the ability of our brain cells to understand and to store knowledge.

Just think of some of the brilliant things the human brain has done. For example, it figured out how to send people safely to the moon and back. It invented television, where all we have to do is flick a switch and pictures and voices appear in our own home. And the human brain invented and improved the airplane so that now we can travel safely from place to place in the air rather than on the ground.

All this, and so much more, too, because of the wonderful cells our brains possess. Did you know that we keep the same

brain cells all our lives? We replace our skin cells every few weeks, and our blood cells every few months, but we never replace our brain cells with new ones. When we scratch ourselves or skin a knee, a scab forms, and a couple of weeks later when it falls off, we have brand-new skin underneath. Not so with our brain cells. If anything happens to one of these cells, it is never replaced by a new one.

Nature was clever in having us keep the same brain cells, because it allows us to remember things for always. If we changed our brain cells the way we do our skin cells or blood cells, we would not be able to remember things for very long. New brain cells would have to learn all over again the various senses of taste or smell or sound or sight or touch that the old brain cells had been familiar with since early childhood. Why, we might not even remember our parents from one year to the next.

No one knows for sure how the brain works. For instance, we don’t know exactly where in the brain cell our knowledge is stored. If we were to look at brain cells under a microscope, we could not see anything to show us how they developed the amazing ability to know all the things they know. Some scientists believe that our ability to think and to store knowledge is a chemical reaction, but exactly what that reaction is, we don’t understand. However, doctors do know that the brain won’t work properly unless, at all times, its cells are supplied with a great deal of oxygen and sugar. Brain cells die more quickly than cells of any other organ in the body if they are deprived of oxygen for even a few minutes, and if the brain cells don’t get enough sugar, they can’t function properly.

The four major portions of the brain are the cerebrum, the cerebellum, the pons, and the medulla oblongata. Our thoughts and our movements are controlled by the cerebrum.

The brain is composed of four main parts:

1. The cerebrum controls our thoughts. Even while we are asleep, the cerebrum keeps working, producing thoughts. These thoughts are our dreams. Often they don’t seem to make much sense, because they pay little attention to time, or space, or place. But dreams are created by our brains, so they must have some meaning.

The thoughts we have while we are awake are called conscious thoughts; those we have while we are asleep are unconscious thoughts. The cerebrum also controls our movements and sensations. The motor nerves that move our muscles are in the cerebrum, and the sensory nerves that allow us to feel things are also in the cerebrum.

2. The cerebellum lies beneath the cerebrum in the back of the brain. It controls muscle reflexes and is responsible for our muscles working together so they don’t tug and pull in different directions at the same time. The cerebellum also controls our sense of balance.

3. The pons lies beneath the cerebellum in the base of the skull. It receives and sends out impulses or signals from the cerebrum.

4. The medulla is located under the pons and connects with the spinal cord. It transmits signals received from all the other parts of the nervous system. Doctors learned about the various functions of the different parts of the brain by making experiments. They discovered that brain cells and nerve cells react to electricity. For example, if we supply a small electric current to a nerve, the nerve will send out a signal and the muscle it supplies will contract. In the same way we can stimulate brain cells and, by so doing, obtain information about their function.

Research has revealed the fact that certain areas of the brain are responsible for various specific functions and these areas have been carefully charted. From experiments of this sort, doctors learned that the signals or impulses that travel from one part of the brain to another, or that travel along nerves to and from the brain, work much the same way as electricity traveling along an electric cord.

Of course, we know that the brain and its nerves don’t have to be stimulated by electricity from the outside. We can start our own “current,” without any outside help at all. Here is an experiment that will show you how your brain works:

Place the palm of your hand flat on the table. Now, think about lifting up your hand, but don’t move it. When you see the numbers 1-2-3, lift up your hand.

1-2-3

Now let’s see exactly what happened. First the brain cells in your cerebrum told the nerves going to your hand that you would soon send signals along them. When you lifted your band, your cerebrum started the signal that traveled to the cerebellum, then to the pons, then to the medulla, then to the spinal cord and out to the nerves that control the muscles in your hand and arm. And all this took place in the flash of a second.

Close your eyes and think of a large airplane flying through a cloudy sky. Think hard and imagine you are actu¬ally seeing it. And there it is!

What really happened was that your brain, all by itself, without paper or paint or crayon or pencil, made that picture and you saw it clearly in your own mind.

Teachers and scientists and doctors know that the brain does certain things automatically, but if we want to develop it to its very best, we must train

The cerebrum can do other amazing things, too. For example, it can make imaginary pictures and feel imaginary sensations. Here is another experiment showing how your brain works:

it all the time. If we don’t, it won’t develop nearly as well. Here are some rules to follow to grow up with a fine brain:

1. Always get enough sleep. A tired brain doesn’t work very well.
2. Eat a good, balanced diet. Brain cells need more. nourishment than any other cells in the entire body. A badly nourished body means a badly nourished brain, and a badly nourished brain won’t function well.
3. Control your anger. It has been found that people who lose their temper all the time, or who constantly fight and hate, develop brains that don’t function as well as they might.
4. Follow what your parents and teachers tell you. Listen carefully to what you are told, whether at home or in school. It has been found that children who fail to pay attention don’t learn well, and their brains never develop as well as they could.
5. Read lots of good books.
6. Look at good television shows, and listen to good radio shows, especially those that can tell about new things.
7. Make as many friends as you can. Children with many good friends usually learn much more than those who are lonely or without friends.
8. Try to get along well with your brothers and sisters. For some strange reason, the brain doesn’t develop as well as it should if there is too much quarreling and fighting and arguing in a family.
9. Tell your parents whenever something is bothering you greatly. It is not good for your brain for you to worry too much, or be unhappy for too long a time. In most cases, parents can help you solve your problem without too much trouble. If they can’t, they will take you to a doctor or other counselor who will know how to help you.

The Human Body Muscle Skeleton Diagram

Filed Under What Goes Inside Us | August 24th, 2006

The Skeleton
There are more than two hundred bones in the skeleton of each one of us. The skeleton supports all the structures of our body and gives us our shape. Bones are made up mostly of hard calcium, but inside them is a soft substance called bone marrow. In this marrow, blood cells of all kinds are manufactured and are taken by blood vessels into the bloodstream.

The Human Blood Circulatory System, Health Symptoms and Problems

Filed Under What Goes Inside Us | August 20th, 2006

The Heart
The heart is a hollow organ, with four chambers, made up of muscles that continuously contract and relax. It is located beneath the breastbone in the chest, mostly on the left side, although a small portion extends over to the right side of the chest. The heart pumps the blood through the body. Without it, we could not live.

The Appendix
The appendix is a small extension of the large intestines, connected to the cecum and located in the lower right part of the abdomen. It is shout the length of your middle finger but only about as thick as a pencil. The appendix has no real function, but it kicks up quite a bit of trouble every once in a while by becoming inflamed or in¬fected. When that happens, it is usually removed.

The Adrenal Glands
The adrenal glands lie on top of the kidneys in the upper portion of the abdomen. They are shaped like triangles, and are about the size of ordinary cookies. Even though the adrenals are small, they are absolutely necessary to life. They supply important hormones, such as adrenalin and cortisone, and they control what happens to various essential substances, including salt and other chemicals in the blood.

The Kidneys
The kidneys are bean-shaped organs about the size of a fist. There are two of them, one on each side, under the ribs in the back part of the abdomen. The kidneys get rid of waste materials from the blood, which is then excreted in the form of urine. The kidneys also make sure that the blood retains those substances that the body needs to function normally.

The Ureters
The ureters are two long tubes connecting the kidneys with the bladder in the lower part of the abdomen. Their purpose is to carry to the bladder the urine that has been produced by the kidneys.

The Bladder
The urinary bladder is a hollow sac located in the lowermost part of the abdomen. The two ureters empty into it from above, and the urethra empties it from below. When the bladder is empty, it is much like a balloon without any air in it. When it is filled with urine, it is large and firm, like a blownup balloon. The purpose of the bladder is to store urine until we are ready to urinate.

The Urethra
The urethra is a tube whose function is to carry urine from the bladder to the outside. In the male, the urethra is located within the penis; in the female, it is located just above the opening of the vagina.

The Male Reproductive Organs
The Penis
The penis has two main purposes: to carry urine from the bladder to the outside, and to carry the sperm to the vagina during intercourse.

The Testicles
The two testicles, one on each side, are located in the scrotal sac just beneath the penis. The testicles manufacture the sperm that unite with the female egg to form a new human being. The testicles also manufacture the male sex hormone, which is supplied directly into the bloodstream. When a male reaches twelve to fourteen years of age, this hormone is responsible for his gradually turning from a boy into a man.

The Prostate Glend
This gland is located around the urethra at the bottom of the bladder. It supplies the fluid in which the sperm are carried.

The Seminal Vesicles
There are two seminal vesicles, one on each side, just above the prostate gland. They supply the fluid (semen) in which the sperm are carried.

The Female Reproductive Organs
The Uterus
The uterus is a pear-shaped organ made up of a cavity lined with membrane and surrounded by a thick muscle wall. It is located deep in the lower part of the abdomen in front of the rectum and just behind the urinary bladder. The uterus connects with the vagina below it and the two Fallopian tubes above it. The uterus is also called the womb. It is the organ within which the unborn child develops.

The Fallopian Tubes
The two Fallopian tubes extend for three to four inches from the top of the uterus, one on each side. Their purpose is to carry to the uterus the eggs that come from the ovaries. If pregnancy is going to take place, the sperm meet and fertilize the egg while it is in a Fallopian tube.

The Ovaries
There are two ovaries, one on each side of the uterus, next to the Fallopian tubes. Once a month, in a grown girl or woman, one of the ovaries produces a tiny egg-about the size of a pinpoint-that leaves the ovary and enters one of the Fallopian tubes. If the egg meets sperm in the Fallopian tube, it may become fertilized and form an embryo. If the egg is not fertilized, it will be expelled naturally. The ovaries also manufacture the female sex hormone, which is supplied directly into the bloodstream. When a female reaches eleven to thirteen years of age, this hormone is responsible for her gradually changing from a girl into a wuman.

The Vagina
The vagina is a membrane-lined canal, whose opening is located between the anus and the urethra. It extends from the outside up to the entrance to the uterus. The penis is placed within the vagina during intercourse, and the sperm that come from the penis are deposited in the vagina. During childbirth, the baby leaves the uterus and comes out through the vagina.

The Skin
The skin covers and protects the entire body. It also helps to control how much fluid we have in our bodies. On hot days our pores open, and we lose a lot of water through perspiration. On cold days our pores remain closed, and we hold more water within our bodies. Certain waste materials are also gotten rid of through the skin in perspiration.

Diagram of Large Intestines, Cleanse Diseases, Pain and Cancer

Filed Under What Goes Inside Us | August 16th, 2006

The large intestines connect with the small intestines in the lower right part of the abdomen. They then extend up the right side of the abdomen to an area beneath the liver, cross the abdomen to the left side high up near the diaphragm, and, finally, extend down the left side of the abdomen all the way to the rectum and anus. The various parts of the large intestines are called:

- The Cecum connecting with the small intestines in the right lower abdomen;
- The Ascending Colon extending up the right side of the abdomen;
- The Transverse Colon extending down the left side of the abdomen;
- The Sigmoid Colon an S-shaped portion located in the lower left side of the abdomen;
- The Rectum the last part of the large intestines, way down in the lower portion of the abdomen;
- The Anus the outlet of the large intestines through which we have the body and were straightened out, we’d discover that they are about five or six feet long, or about as long as the couch in most people’s living room.

The purpose of the large intestines is to absorb water from the stools and to push the stools onward so they can be excreted through the anus. By the time the large intestines receive the foods we have eaten, all the nourishment contained in the foods has been removed in the small intestines. Therefore, the stools consist mostly of waste materials that the body neither needs nor wants.

Diagram of Small Intestines, Health Symptoms Such as Blockage, Inflammation and Pain

Filed Under What Goes Inside Us | August 15th, 2006

The small intestines are long muscular tubes that join the stomach to the large intestines. If they were outside the body and were straightened out, they would stretch out to about twenty feet, or about the length of most people’s living room! The first part of the small intestines is called the duodenum, the second part the jejunum, and the third part the ileum.

The small intestines receive bile from the liver and gall bladder and juices from the pancreas. These substances help us to digest foods. Also, tiny glands in the walls of the small intestines manufacture juices that help in the digestion of the proteins, sugars, and fats that we have eaten. Digested food, minerals, and vitamins are absorbed through the walls of the small intestines and are taken to the liver. From there, they are sent where they are needed or stored for later use.

The Stomach, Liposuction to Loose Stomach Fat and Weight

Filed Under What Goes Inside Us | August 5th, 2006

The Pancreas
The pancreas is a gland that lies crosswise in the middle of the abdomen below the stomach. It makes insulin, a hormone that controls the way we use the sugar we have digested, and it manufactures various juices that flow into the intestines to help digest the foods we have eaten.

The Stomach
The stomach lies in the upper left side of the abdomen. It connects with the esophagus, or foodpipe, above and the small intestines below. The muscles of the stomach churn up the undigested food received from the esophagus and break it into small particles. The stomach also digests some of the sugars we have eaten and even absorbs some of them into the body through its wall. The tiny gland cells of the stomach’s lining manufacture an acid that also helps to break up large undigested food particles into small ones. People once thought that the stomach was important in digesting foods, but this is not so. Most of the digestion goes on in the small intestines.

Symptoms of Liver Damage and Small Intestine Cleanse Alcohol Transplant

Filed Under What Goes Inside Us | August 3rd, 2006

The Liver
The liver is the largest organ in the body. It extends across the upper abdomen beneath the diaphragm, the muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity. The liver has more jobs to do than any other organ. It stores and releases into the blood the proteins, sugars, and fats that we have absorbed from our food. It also purifies the blood and gets rid of wastes.

The Gall Bladder
The gall bladder is a small thin walled sac, shaped like a pear, attached to the underside of the liver. It receives from the liver and stores bile, which it sends out as needed through a hollow tube called the bile duct. The bile duct leads into the intestines where bile acts to digest the fats that we have eaten.

The Spleen
The spleen is a large bean-shaped gland lying high up’ beneath the diaphragm on the left side of the abdomen. Before a child is born, the spleen manufactures red blood cells. After birth, it destroys worn-out red blood cells.

Pictures of Lungs Nodules and Cancer Symptoms

Filed Under What Goes Inside Us | August 1st, 2006

The lungs are located in the chest and are surrounded and protected by the ribs. They are two large spongy organs that get bigger as we breathe in and smaller as we breathe out. The lungs take out the oxygen from the air we breathe in and get rid of carbon dioxide with the air we breathe out. Without lungs, we could not live.

1. The Larynx
The larynx is the top of the trachea, or windpipe. It forms the bulge in the neck that is called the “Adam’s apple” and contains two vocal cords that vi¬brate and that open and close as we speak or sing.

2. The Thyroid Gland
The thyroid is a gland located in the front of the neck on both sides of the trachea, or windpipe. It manufactures the hormone that controls how well we break down food into substances that are used for energy and for rebuilding worn-out structures.

3. The Trachea
The trachea is the windpipe, which extends from the larynx in the neck down to the bronchial tubes in the chest. It carries the air we breathe into and out of the lungs.

The Parathyroid Glands
The parathyroids are four pea-sized glands located in the neck behind the thyroid gland. They make a hormone that controls the way calcium and phosphorus behave in the body. These minerals are important because they help keep bones and muscles in good condition.

The Esophagus
The esophagus is the foodpipe. It extends from the throat down through the chest, and it carries the food and fluids we swallow into the stomach.

The Bronchial Tubes
The bronchial tubes connect the trachea and the lungs. Air moves through these tubes into and out of the lungs.